


Horror

by Dreaming_Writer



Series: Legend of Zelda Posts [9]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Arttober, Bad Ending, Betaed, Blood and Injury, Character Death, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Magic, Souls, but nothing graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27268963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreaming_Writer/pseuds/Dreaming_Writer
Summary: The sound of steel being drawn out of flesh had never been more sickening, the smell of blood never as vile.Vio stumbled back, purple eyes wide in shock and horror, hands shaking, dropping his sword as if it had burned him. There was a ringing in his ears, overriding the screams of Blue, sobbing of Red or evil cackling of Shadow. He felt numb, shaking his head in denial, begging the green-clad part of him to understand.oO0OoArttober Day 29: Horror
Relationships: Shadow Link & Vio Link
Series: Legend of Zelda Posts [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653892
Comments: 12
Kudos: 23





	Horror

**Author's Note:**

> For Arttober Day 29: Horror

It happened too fast for anyone to comprehend. One moment everything was stressy and wrong and the next everything had tilted a few inches to the left and a gaping hole of nothingness seemed to center in their soul, swallowing them up.

To know how this happened, one needs to know three things:

  1. It was supposed to be a mock fight, or at least he had planned it to be. It was supposed to be a farce, a game to pull the shadow in a false sense of security.
  2. His foot hadn't been supposed to be hurt. He hadn't been supposed to stumble because of a sudden spike of pain. The hilt of the sword was supposed to find the soft flesh of the chest and stomach area, not the blade.
  3. Green had trusted him. He'd heard the whispered words and trusted the judgement of his other part to not have betrayed them, for they all shared a soul. 



The sound of steel being drawn out of flesh had never been more sickening, the smell of blood never as vile.

Vio stumbled back, purple eyes wide in shock and horror, hands shaking, dropping his sword as if it had burned him. There was a ringing in his ears, overriding the screams of Blue, sobbing of Red or evil cackling of Shadow. He felt numb, shaking his head in denial, begging the green-clad part of him to understand.

Green's eyes were wide, unseeing, until they slowly refocused. Their eyes met and Vio mouthed frantically " _I didn't want this, forgivemeforgiveme"_ for this truly had never been his intention. 

Green only gave him a kind and understanding smile, knowing on death's door that this hadn't been planned, forgiving instantly where never should be.

And then he dropped, dead before he even met the ground, body bursting apart in particles of light, a small breeze of air.

And the earth tilted to the left and gravity left them all slipping, falling, an animalistic sound of pain tearing out their throats as a part of their soul departed from this life to the next. Vio never touched the ground for the shadow was there, catching him and steadying him and holding him up whereas the other two collapsed. 

"Don't feel bad," he urged, red eyes gleaming with bloodlust. "The first kill is always the hardest. It only gets better from here on."

And he spirited Vio away before the purple clad youth could beg for forgiveness, the word "traitor" forevermore burned into his soul.

He brought Vio to the dark world wanting to celebrate but when he saw how sick his friend seemed, Shadow brought him to the newly made private chambers instead. 

"Feel better soon" he wished sincerely, without a doubt of the other's loyalty. "I will take care of the rest."

He looked back at the one he thought of as his best friend before closing the door gently, leaving him to rest. He never once saw his form flicker as magic tried to keep the soul teetered to the real world even though part of it had already crossed over.

The shadow was an efficient hunter. Only two days later he had found the two fleeing parts and cornered them, monsters a million per one hylian.

One survived at the brave sacrifice of the other but the shadow wasn't scared for the one surviving was the, in his opinion, weakest part, a crybaby, having even lost his sword long ago.

Shadow proudly carried the fourth sword through the castle he lived in the dark world in search of Vio, the blade wet with the blood of monsters and the water of the body burst apart. 

He wasn't surprised to find the ex-hero in the castle's huge library, nose buried in a book about soul magic. 

"Only one is left" he boasted, victorious, pointed teeth showing with his almost predatorial grin.

"I know," Vio said tonelessly, eyes hollow and haunted with an emotion Shadow couldn't place.

"Let's defeat Vaati and take the power over Hyrule now, then we can finish him off. We'll be unstoppable," Shadow grinned, flipping in cheer before skipping off to get their victory drinks.

Shadow never once saw Vio's form glitch nor saw how translucent the Hylian's fingers seemed, for he had started wearing gloves and dark clothes to hide the fading magic from the one who was his friend and enemy, his murderer.

And while they planned to overthrow the windmage, news of burning monster hordes were carried to them but with Vio telling Shadow to focus on the currently bigger issue it went ignored.

They took on Vaati unexpectedly easily for the windmage had never expected the shade to turn against him. They sealed him in the Four Swords, nearly breaking them by their attempt to use dark magic on the light enchantments.

It was only then, once in the fight and once in the aftermath, that Shadow saw his friend's form flicker, but he first justified it with a trick of the light and then with the Four Sword's malfunctioning shortly because they didn't like the dark magic, but would accept it sooner or later.

But then suddenly Red was there, fire in his eyes and form almost translucent, fighting against the traitor and the shadow. How he had found them, neither knew, but the hero was almost mindless with grief and fueled only by emotions, not being able to be reasoned with and utterly unbalanced.

Shadow fought, whereas Vio only blocked as the red clad youth practically hammered upon their defenses chipping them away with powerful flames and almost fiery insanity, driven to it by loss, grief and loneliness and thirst for revenge for his fallen parts.

They were at a stalemate when Ganon appeared, ready to take over when they were all weakened.

And the three fought him and themselves until Red got his hands on his own and Blue's sword, Vio carrying the other two. And suddenly, just for a moment the swords lightened up and ghosts of their fallen parts appeared, Green looking sad and Blue just downright hateful. 

And then they were gone again and a bright beam of light shot from the swords, breaking through the barrier of darkness Ganon had cast around them which Shadow had so far only managed to hold back barely by the skin of his teeth. The shade hissed and escaped into Vio's shadow as the light threatened to burn him. 

And then the princess was there, safe and sound and she sealed Ganon also into the swords before turning to Vio and Red with sad eyes.

And then Zelda gasped horrified as suddenly Shadow jumped out of Vio's shadow and buried his sword in the last hero's chest. The boy didn't even have the chance to comprehend his own death before his magic, too, became undone and he came apart in a glitch and a few sparks of fire, quickly flickering out.

With a victorious grin Shadow turned to Vio, announcing: "Ha! There's nothing important in our way to rule left now!"

The grin disappeared as quickly as it had come as he saw the form of his crumbled friend glitch before turning to dust, too much of the soul having crossed over for the magic of the Four Sword to keep it grounded in the realm of the living.

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to the lovely Agent3Novi for betaing this!


End file.
